Deb was warned twice for his remarks: Dass

GUWAHATI: Assam BJP president Ranjeet Kumar Dass on Friday said party MLA Shiladitya Deb, who has been accused of vitiating the atmosphere in th state by giving communally sensitive statements, was warned twice for making such remarks earlier. Dass warned that he will move the party's parliamentary board if Deb continues to violate the stricture.

"He (Deb) was warned twice for making controversial statements on communal lines at a time when there is an uproar in the state over the citizenship issue. I will write to the parliamentary board of our party if Deb continues with his controversial statements. From the party's side, he has been cautioned not to hurt the sentiments of a particular community. BJP wants the state government to take stringent action against all sections, including MLAs, if they try to disrupt peace and harmony. We are for a dignified living of all Indians in Assam, irrespective of communities," said Dass.

Various organizations in the state are demanding arrest of Deb following Thurday's killing of five persons in Tinsukia district. But Deb, a legislator from Hojai, denied making any provocative statements.

Dass made it clear that though BJP is not against curbing freedom of expression, reckless statements by some organizations and a section of people vitiated the peaceful atmosphere of the state. The state BJP chief appealed to the media to restrain from publishing reports that can trigger communal tension. He also took a dig at Congress for allegedly indulging in divisive politics over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.

The proposed legislation, which seeks to grant citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians who fled Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan due to religious persecution, has been vehemently opposed by All Assam Students' Union, All Assam Tribal Sangha, Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti and AGP. They have been demanding scrapping of the bill.

The state BJP is suspecting a political conspiracy in the brutal killings in Tinsukia to malign the party's development agenda. "We suspect the involvement of groups with a political motive in the incident," said Dass.

Blaming Congress for complicating the immigrants' issue in the state, Dass said Congress leaders have taken a dual stand on the bill in the Barak and Brahmaputra valleys of Assam, thereby making the situation more complicated. He also accused some pro-talks Ulfa militants of making provocative statements.

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